Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
12. Emigration—From Makkah to Madinah
~ 299 ~
missions were carried through to success by sheer
force of personality.
There were two complementary aspects to this
method: one was based on overawing the
opponents of Islam, while the other was aimed at
planting in them the seed of love. The first meant
accumulating strength awesome enough to
convince the opponents of Islam that they could not
beat it and that being so, they had best come to its
fold.
7
The second way was to offer gifts to the opponents
of Islam for softening their heart towards Islam and
Muslims.
8
The generosity that the Prophet showed
to win people over to his cause was without peer.
No one before or after him can lay claim to such
boundless munificence. Safwan ibn Umayyah, a
noble of Makkah, went and hid in a mountain
ravine. After the Muslim conquest of Makkah the
Prophet extended an amnesty to him, and asked to
see him. After Hawazin had been subdued, the
Prophet was overseeing the distribution of spoils at
Ji’ranah. Safwan ibn Umayyah was with him. As yet
he had not accepted Islam. Standing on the side of a